Since returning from Hawaii I've only been able to get one in 5k training run on June 6. Nothing much to talk about, the pace was just a little slower than my usual 7 minutes per kilometer. However, my left knee was hurting for several days after the run. I'm pretty sure that the cause was simply a matter of not easing back into it rather than bad form or over use.
We went to Puerto Vallarta from the 9th through the 20th. There's a good community athletic park there complete with a nicely surfaced track but the heat and humidity was too much to try it out.
Today we're going on a car trip to Northern California to take a Dr. McDougall cooking workshop. This doctor believes that most health problems, including my high cholesterol, can be solved with diet.
Of course the key to good health is a balance of diet, exercise and happiness. I'm certainly happy not having to report to work every day but I'll be back at work on July 1. Hopefully I'll be able to return to a regular exercise routine soon but for June it looks like 5k for the whole month is about it.
Showing posts with label Running. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Running. Show all posts
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Active Lifestyle
So here I am in Waikiki Beach. Thursday was the travel day and Friday I spent mostly walking to and from the Hotel Ilikai to the set at Queen's Beach where Rosie is working. I even made a trip to the local WalMart to pick up some sun screen they needed on the set. Although it might seem like a lazy day it turned out that I walked about 15 miles, much of it barefoot on the sand, so you could call it exercise, work or simply an active lifestyle day. If every day was like that there would not really be any need to take the time to exercise because there's enough activity in the day to keep fit. Hum--give up a life of driving the car to work and sit in front of a computer for 10 hours? Sounds good to me.
There is a lagoon right next to the hotel and it looks like lots of people jog around it for exercise so I went down and did 5 kilometers this morning.
Why a daily run distance on the weekend? Rosie is working today, Saturday, so it feels like a weekday today--Toto I don't think we're in Jerusalem anymore! Besides yesterday was sort of a long day for me and I'm getting plenty of exercise just walking on the beach. I also got a swim mask and snorkel and have been checking out the local marine life. Now I've only got to rent a bicycle and I'd be doing a tri-vacation!
There is a lagoon right next to the hotel and it looks like lots of people jog around it for exercise so I went down and did 5 kilometers this morning.
HR Pace Cadence Distance
Saturday - 157 6:57 min/km 11:11 min/mi 85 5.0 km
Why a daily run distance on the weekend? Rosie is working today, Saturday, so it feels like a weekday today--Toto I don't think we're in Jerusalem anymore! Besides yesterday was sort of a long day for me and I'm getting plenty of exercise just walking on the beach. I also got a swim mask and snorkel and have been checking out the local marine life. Now I've only got to rent a bicycle and I'd be doing a tri-vacation!
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Off to Hawaii
In all the flurry of activity getting ready to go to Hawaii to be with Rosie for a few weeks while she is working on a movie there I just realized that I reached a milestone today--50 kilometers and the week is only half over. Well, OK I cheated. Monday I rode my bicycle to and from work so it doesn't really count!
In any case I did put in a couple of 5 k runs and wanted to note them down before taking off. Interesting, same cadence but different pace, I must have been taking longer strides on Tuesday. Yesterday I was feeling a little tired so I took it easy. I didn't do the daily run this morning.
I'll try to put in some runs while in Hawaii but I'm not sure if I'll keep up my training blog.
In any case I did put in a couple of 5 k runs and wanted to note them down before taking off. Interesting, same cadence but different pace, I must have been taking longer strides on Tuesday. Yesterday I was feeling a little tired so I took it easy. I didn't do the daily run this morning.
HR Pace Cadence Distance
Tuesday - 161 6:53 min/km 11:04 min/mi 84 5.0 km
Wednesday - 157 7:19 min/km 11:46 min/mi 84 5.0 km
I'll try to put in some runs while in Hawaii but I'm not sure if I'll keep up my training blog.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Changes...whoa whoa whoa
A lot has happened since my last post. First of all, I'm home! Through a series of events that happened at my job in Jerusalem I had an opportunity to move my departure date up by a month so I took it. That last week of April was crazy for me, trying to pack up and scheduling working at my old job at DreamWorks Animation the following week. Needless to say, once again work got in the way of my workouts, though my sore left ankle would have put me down for the week anyway.
I immediately started working out at my old familiar course in West Hollywood. Monday Rosie and I took the dog out for a stroll but I strapped on the heart rate monitor and made it count--the pace was very slow because of all the pee breaks the dog took. Tuesday was one lap around the block to test my ankle. Wednesday Rosie was getting ready to leave for a month long job in Hawaii so I skipped the run--wouldn't you know it, as soon as I get home she leaves, but the good news is that I'll be following her to Hawaii soon. Thursday I started extending the distance and Friday I finally got around to doing a 5 kilometer daily run. My course at home is much flatter than the hilly Jerusalem course so it wasn't that hard to get to 5K.
However, my ankle is still a bit sore so I'm going to give it a couple of days rest and skip the long run.
I am just filling in for someone at DreamWorks. It was only supposed to be for a week but he isn't returning until Tuesday so I'm also going to work on Monday. Since May 12-16 is "Ride your Bike to Work Week" I dusted off the old bicycle and am planning on riding to work and back on Monday. At 12 to 14 miles one-way, depending on which route I take.
I immediately started working out at my old familiar course in West Hollywood. Monday Rosie and I took the dog out for a stroll but I strapped on the heart rate monitor and made it count--the pace was very slow because of all the pee breaks the dog took. Tuesday was one lap around the block to test my ankle. Wednesday Rosie was getting ready to leave for a month long job in Hawaii so I skipped the run--wouldn't you know it, as soon as I get home she leaves, but the good news is that I'll be following her to Hawaii soon. Thursday I started extending the distance and Friday I finally got around to doing a 5 kilometer daily run. My course at home is much flatter than the hilly Jerusalem course so it wasn't that hard to get to 5K.
However, my ankle is still a bit sore so I'm going to give it a couple of days rest and skip the long run.
HR Pace Cadence Distance
Monday - 95 12:30 min/km 20:07 min/mi 54 1.7 km
Tuesday - 164 6:27 min/km 10:22 min/mi 87 1.9 km
Wednesday - off
Thursday - 164 6:40 min/km 10:43 min/mi 86 3.7 km
Friday - 164 6:49 min/km 10:58 min/mi 87 5.0 km
I am just filling in for someone at DreamWorks. It was only supposed to be for a week but he isn't returning until Tuesday so I'm also going to work on Monday. Since May 12-16 is "Ride your Bike to Work Week" I dusted off the old bicycle and am planning on riding to work and back on Monday. At 12 to 14 miles one-way, depending on which route I take.
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Backing Off--just a bit
It seems that these past few weeks things aren't going as I had hoped. I was planning on running 3k daily, Monday through Friday and a long run on Saturday--but that was not to be. I've got a pain in my left ankle, last time it was my right ankle and it took several weeks to heal. However, this time I'm pretty sure that the problem was caused not by running, but when I accidentally hit my foot on the bed frame on Monday evening. Trying to be a hero and running too hard on Tuesday only made it worse.
Three kilometers per day, total distance this week: 12k. About average for this month.
I took it easy on Wednesday. The pain subsided after about a kilometer warm up and I almost talked myself into training through it instead of taking any rest days. Perhaps stress has something to do with this injury because after a relaxing good phone conversation with my wife on Thursday morning I really felt pretty good, though I took it extra easy to prevent making things worse.
Since Friday was a day off work I decided to wait until later in the day to do the run, but after walking to the market I realized that I'd better take the day off and forget about doing a long run on Saturday.
So this shouldn't be as bad as when my right ankle hurt last month and I don't think it is a running injury this time, but I'm going to back off on my workouts--just a bit because I don't want to just stop and rest. One strategy that might work is to run every other day and see if things get better or worse.
An interesting observation is that the Polar RS800sd measured all of the runs this week 2.9k instead of 3k. Not a big deal, but I'm running the same course so to keep things consistent I'm calculating my times for 3k.
I guess that in the big picture it doesn't really matter too much if my training distance is off my 0.1k as long as I'm getting in a good workout. I'm currently not preparing for a race, unless you consider getting my cholesterol count down a sort of a race. What is starting to bother me though is that I'm running around in circles every morning in order to stay healthy enough to sit in front of a computer in a dark room the rest of the day.
Five weeks to go on this job and I'll be home.
Three kilometers per day, total distance this week: 12k. About average for this month.
HR Pace Cadence
Monday - 157 6:50 min/km 11:00 min/mi 84
Tuesday - 160 6:37 min/km 10:39 min/mi 88
Wednesday - 156 7:29 min/km 12:03 min/mi 85
Thursday - 151 8:05 min/km 13:01 min/mi 80
I took it easy on Wednesday. The pain subsided after about a kilometer warm up and I almost talked myself into training through it instead of taking any rest days. Perhaps stress has something to do with this injury because after a relaxing good phone conversation with my wife on Thursday morning I really felt pretty good, though I took it extra easy to prevent making things worse.
Since Friday was a day off work I decided to wait until later in the day to do the run, but after walking to the market I realized that I'd better take the day off and forget about doing a long run on Saturday.
So this shouldn't be as bad as when my right ankle hurt last month and I don't think it is a running injury this time, but I'm going to back off on my workouts--just a bit because I don't want to just stop and rest. One strategy that might work is to run every other day and see if things get better or worse.
An interesting observation is that the Polar RS800sd measured all of the runs this week 2.9k instead of 3k. Not a big deal, but I'm running the same course so to keep things consistent I'm calculating my times for 3k.
I guess that in the big picture it doesn't really matter too much if my training distance is off my 0.1k as long as I'm getting in a good workout. I'm currently not preparing for a race, unless you consider getting my cholesterol count down a sort of a race. What is starting to bother me though is that I'm running around in circles every morning in order to stay healthy enough to sit in front of a computer in a dark room the rest of the day.
Five weeks to go on this job and I'll be home.
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Post Crunch Time Setback
Last week I was congratulating myself for exercising all through crunch time at work. This week--well, not so much.
Sunday was a scheduled day off, Monday I put in a 3K run, Tuesday I didn't make up my mind if I would alternate between 2K and 3K each day so on the second lap I thought I'd check my time and oops--forgot to start my watch, so 2K it was.
Tuesday started bad but ended worse. The DVD we made for the screening didn't work at the Jerusalem Cinematheque and we ended up working late into the night trying to make one that would work. As it turned out the DVD was fine but there was some sort of a technical problem at the Cinematheque that caused the right speaker to kick out about 20 minutes into the movie.
Anyway, Wednesday morning I was toast and even though nobody seemed to mind the right speaker going out for about 5 minutes during the screening, I of course stressed out. Thursday I had a back ache, sore ankles, wobbly knees, and other physical signs of stress so I took that day off from running. On Friday, which is a non-work day like Saturday is in the U.S., I spent most of the day laying on the couch hoping that would get my back back in shape--ugh!
That brings me up to today. I decided to run, though I started a little later than usual and the weather is starting to warm up a little earlier than it used to. My back, ankles, knees and head felt better so I decided to get back on track and put in 5K on the hilly neighborhood course. On the 2nd lap I was weighing my options, should I bail out at 3K and save the 5K for tomorrow? Without thinking about it I started to speed up but at the end of the 3rd lap I convinced myself that a 5K would be better than a 3K for today.
No crunch time next week, 3K workouts Monday through Friday and time to think about doing something longer than 5K for the Saturday LSD run.
Total for the week, 10K. That's a setback to my goal of slowly increasing weekly distance, last week I did 15K so it isn't really all that bad.
Finally, on today's chart I put the cursor on the 2K mark just to see how fast I was moving at that point--5:45 min/km 9:16 min/mi. Somehow everything must have fallen in place at that point because I didn't feel like I was going that fast and I had to force myself to slow down knowing that I wouldn't make it through 5K at that speed. Well, at least not on the hills in the heat, not yet--but maybe some day?
Sunday was a scheduled day off, Monday I put in a 3K run, Tuesday I didn't make up my mind if I would alternate between 2K and 3K each day so on the second lap I thought I'd check my time and oops--forgot to start my watch, so 2K it was.
Tuesday started bad but ended worse. The DVD we made for the screening didn't work at the Jerusalem Cinematheque and we ended up working late into the night trying to make one that would work. As it turned out the DVD was fine but there was some sort of a technical problem at the Cinematheque that caused the right speaker to kick out about 20 minutes into the movie.
Anyway, Wednesday morning I was toast and even though nobody seemed to mind the right speaker going out for about 5 minutes during the screening, I of course stressed out. Thursday I had a back ache, sore ankles, wobbly knees, and other physical signs of stress so I took that day off from running. On Friday, which is a non-work day like Saturday is in the U.S., I spent most of the day laying on the couch hoping that would get my back back in shape--ugh!
That brings me up to today. I decided to run, though I started a little later than usual and the weather is starting to warm up a little earlier than it used to. My back, ankles, knees and head felt better so I decided to get back on track and put in 5K on the hilly neighborhood course. On the 2nd lap I was weighing my options, should I bail out at 3K and save the 5K for tomorrow? Without thinking about it I started to speed up but at the end of the 3rd lap I convinced myself that a 5K would be better than a 3K for today.
No crunch time next week, 3K workouts Monday through Friday and time to think about doing something longer than 5K for the Saturday LSD run.
HR Pace Cadence
Sunday - Rest Day
Monday 3K - 161 6:50 min/km 10:59 min/mi 87
Tuesday 2K - Forgot to start running watch
Wednesday - Zip
Thursday - Nada
Friday - Even less than yesterday
Saturday 5K - 164 7:18 min/km 11:45 min/mi 83
Total for the week, 10K. That's a setback to my goal of slowly increasing weekly distance, last week I did 15K so it isn't really all that bad.
Finally, on today's chart I put the cursor on the 2K mark just to see how fast I was moving at that point--5:45 min/km 9:16 min/mi. Somehow everything must have fallen in place at that point because I didn't feel like I was going that fast and I had to force myself to slow down knowing that I wouldn't make it through 5K at that speed. Well, at least not on the hills in the heat, not yet--but maybe some day?
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Crunch Time 5K
Looking over my previous posts, what has become a pattern is work getting in the way of my scheduled workouts. Somehow I managed to get in all my runs for the week while making it though crunch time at work. We've got a screening scheduled for next Wednesday and even though I did work long hours and through the weekend I'm quite proud of myself for putting in my runs.
Today was my long day and even though calling 5 kilometers a long run might seem laughable, I did increase my weekly distance for the past three weeks--10k, 13k and this week, 15k. It is a long way off from the 50k weeks I used to do last year racewalking, but I'm huffing and puffing over the hills of Jerusalem.
The foot pod once again measured slightly different than usual, but if this course really is a 1k loop then things look like this:
Today was my long day and even though calling 5 kilometers a long run might seem laughable, I did increase my weekly distance for the past three weeks--10k, 13k and this week, 15k. It is a long way off from the 50k weeks I used to do last year racewalking, but I'm huffing and puffing over the hills of Jerusalem.
The foot pod once again measured slightly different than usual, but if this course really is a 1k loop then things look like this:
HR Pace Cadence
Saturday 5k - 165 6:50 min/km 10:59 min/mi 88Not bad for an easy run, it was even better than most of my daily runs!
Friday, April 11, 2008
Building up the Distance
Somehow I've managed to keep building up my distance despite being on a crunch time at work this week. My daily runs were only 2 k per day, but I was able to get all of them in.
It looks like I wasn't quite recovered from the race on Monday. Tuesday I forgot to take my water bottle and my ankle was bothering me just a bit so I took it easy. Wednesday I took it even easier--the stress at work was getting to me, but by Friday I was starting to build up speed.
Tomorrow is my LSD day and since I promised myself to build up slowly I'll probably just do a 5 K around the neighborhood like I did a couple of weeks ago. Before I leave Jerusalem, just 7 weeks to go, I hope to be able to do 5 K daily runs on my hilly neighborhood course.
Of course I missed the Jerusalem half-marathon a few weeks ago, but that was partially due to work. Things were getting busy and the race was on a Thursday during regular working hours. It was also partially because my ankle was hurting. Yeah, I over did it and built up my distance too quickly but it seems that job stress is also causing some of my lower leg pain. I work sitting down all day on a computer. Some guys work standing up, but it seems that would be tiring too. Maybe I should just stop working if that's what causing my pains?
Sunday - Rest Day, yesterday was a 10K race
HR Pace Cadence
Monday - 163 7:03 min/km 11:20 min/mi 86
Tuesday - 158 7:13 min/km 11:36 min/mi 85
Wednesday - 157 7:30 min/km 12:04 min/mi 85
Thursday - 157 7:19 min/km 11:46 min/mi 85
Friday - 157 6:53 min/km 11:04 min/mi 85
It looks like I wasn't quite recovered from the race on Monday. Tuesday I forgot to take my water bottle and my ankle was bothering me just a bit so I took it easy. Wednesday I took it even easier--the stress at work was getting to me, but by Friday I was starting to build up speed.
Tomorrow is my LSD day and since I promised myself to build up slowly I'll probably just do a 5 K around the neighborhood like I did a couple of weeks ago. Before I leave Jerusalem, just 7 weeks to go, I hope to be able to do 5 K daily runs on my hilly neighborhood course.
Of course I missed the Jerusalem half-marathon a few weeks ago, but that was partially due to work. Things were getting busy and the race was on a Thursday during regular working hours. It was also partially because my ankle was hurting. Yeah, I over did it and built up my distance too quickly but it seems that job stress is also causing some of my lower leg pain. I work sitting down all day on a computer. Some guys work standing up, but it seems that would be tiring too. Maybe I should just stop working if that's what causing my pains?
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Another 10k Race
I was hoping to build up my distance for this week by alternating a 2k with a 1k daily run. However, work got in my way again as it so often seems to happen and I was only able to do a 2k on Monday, with a decent 6:30 min/km pace (10:27 min/mi) and a 1k on Tuesday, taking it much easier with my "normal" 7 min/km pace (11:15 min/mi).
However Sharon Peleg, my assistant at work, found a 10k race near his home in a suburb of Tel Aviv. He has only recently started running, he says that I inspired him, and his longest run so far has been 4 kilometers. I encouraged him to sign up for the race and we'd both do it. He hessitated and said that he'd try to do 5 kilometers next time he runs and then decide. The next morning we signed up for the race.
It was an out and back course that started and ended in a small neighborhood athletic park. The course was a bit hilly but I tried holding him at a steady 7 min/km pace through the first half, which turned out to be mostly downhill. Our 5k time was a little faster than our target at about 33 minutes. Going back up the hill was a bit tough, but since we took it easy at the beginning we made it to the top without taking any walking breaks. Once we saw the 8k marker at the top of the hill we knew we could finish it, in fact we had a pretty good sprint once we got on the track for the final 200 meters and hit a top speed of 4:28 min/km (7:11 min/mi).
I'll update this with the official finishing time but to this photo, we clocked in at 1:08:33. That would be my best 10k running time yet and the first time Sharon ran that distance. Of course we didn't win, but our goal was to do it at 1:10 and not be the last ones to finish!
The only glitch was that the Polar software recorded the distance as only 9.287 kilometers, way short of 10k so the average pace results are off. I'm now seriously thinking about getting a GPS unit. It would also help once I get home and start getting into bicycling.
In any case I increased my mileage (kilometerage?) from a total of 10 kilometers last week to 13 kilometers this week. Nothing to brag about, but I am trying increase the distance a little bit each week. Oh, and my ankle feels pretty good so hopefully I'm over that injury.
However Sharon Peleg, my assistant at work, found a 10k race near his home in a suburb of Tel Aviv. He has only recently started running, he says that I inspired him, and his longest run so far has been 4 kilometers. I encouraged him to sign up for the race and we'd both do it. He hessitated and said that he'd try to do 5 kilometers next time he runs and then decide. The next morning we signed up for the race.
It was an out and back course that started and ended in a small neighborhood athletic park. The course was a bit hilly but I tried holding him at a steady 7 min/km pace through the first half, which turned out to be mostly downhill. Our 5k time was a little faster than our target at about 33 minutes. Going back up the hill was a bit tough, but since we took it easy at the beginning we made it to the top without taking any walking breaks. Once we saw the 8k marker at the top of the hill we knew we could finish it, in fact we had a pretty good sprint once we got on the track for the final 200 meters and hit a top speed of 4:28 min/km (7:11 min/mi).
I'll update this with the official finishing time but to this photo, we clocked in at 1:08:33. That would be my best 10k running time yet and the first time Sharon ran that distance. Of course we didn't win, but our goal was to do it at 1:10 and not be the last ones to finish!
The only glitch was that the Polar software recorded the distance as only 9.287 kilometers, way short of 10k so the average pace results are off. I'm now seriously thinking about getting a GPS unit. It would also help once I get home and start getting into bicycling.
In any case I increased my mileage (kilometerage?) from a total of 10 kilometers last week to 13 kilometers this week. Nothing to brag about, but I am trying increase the distance a little bit each week. Oh, and my ankle feels pretty good so hopefully I'm over that injury.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Barefoot Running Post on ChiRunning
I don't usually post on discussing boards these days but a very active thread on barefoot running on the ChiRunning site caught my attention and I responded. However, there seems to be a problem with their software and I can't submit my post--no use letting the effort go to waste:
Update--I was able to post this after several emails with the site manager.
I just got my ChiRunning/ChiWalking email newsletter and found this "Hot Bulletin Board Topic" listed. Although I don't consider myself a barefoot runner (yet) maybe some of my experiences can shed some light on this topic.
I was never much of an athlete but just before I turned 40 I got the urge to run a marathon--call it mid-life crises. I trained with a run-walk Jeff Galloway certified group and made it through all the pain and suffering of trying out several expensive running shoes guided by the "experts" at a local high-end running store until finding something that worked for me. Somehow I made it through a run-walk-run-walk-walk-walk-walk-OK, run that last 0.2 mile.
I didn't consider doing another marathon for 13 years then that familiar urge came back a couple of years ago. This time I started my training knowing what to expect--lots of pain until I got the right shoe combination again. Only this time I couldn't get rid of the knee pain. It eventually landed me inside an MRI machine with an orthopedic surgeon telling me to cut way back on my running or I'll be looking at knee replacement surgery within a year. My father and sister both had terrible knee problems so I blamed genetics for cutting short my dreams of ever running another marathon. However, I found out that the race that I was planning to do (Los Angeles Marathon) had racewalking and wheelchair divisions--I chose racewalking. For those of you that aren't familiar with racewalking, it is a very technical sport so I took classes. Whoa, what an awakening, I had terrible walking form. It took me months of training but eventually I got it right. Oh, I did have some knee problems that were "fixed" with some custom orthodics but as my form improved I was able to ween myself off of them.
So--what does all this have to do with barefoot running? Hang in there.
Once it sunk in that I needed to learn how to walk--I started researching how to run and discovered, among other things--ChiRunning. About that time I was needing less and less help from my shoes for racewalking until I was using the most minimal racing flats. If these were the best walking shoes, could they also be the best running shoes? The answer, at least for me, was a resounding yes. The less cushioning, motion control, support and especially springy heel on the shoe, the better.
Of course the next step would be to take off the shoes. After a lifetime of never going beyond two steps out of the shower barefooted, I gave it a shot. It was like learning how to run all over again, only this time my feet demanded proper running form from me.
Like I said, I'm not a barefooted runner, but I'm finding that mixing in some barefoot runs every now and then helps reinforce good form. It also helps strengthen the ankles and foot muscles.
There are lots of reasons to try barefoot running and one not to--the fear of cutting open your soles. A little prudence helps a lot when running barefoot. The worse I suffered were some blisters the first time I ran on asphalt. Then again I had much worse blisters when breaking in new shoes. Oh yeah--and my knees don't need replacements.
Saturday, March 29, 2008
10k in 1-week
That's the total that I ran this week, but coming off an ankle injury--I'm pretty happy. So, assume the blogging position!
Last week I did a total of 1 kilometer the whole week and I made a promise to come back slowly. Doing 10 times the distance the following week might not seem prudent, but before the ankle injury I was doing 4k daily runs 4-times a week and an 18k long run. OK, that was too much but my goal is to eventually get back to doing at least a 5k daily workout like I was doing before starting this job in Jerusalem. Of course out here I'm running on hills at an altitude of about 820 meters (2,690 feet) while at home it was pretty much flat at nearly sea level and I was racewalking so it is going to be more of a challenge to build up my distance.
Here's how the week went:
Some numbers might not match up exactly because the Polar SR800sd foot pod does vary from day to day. Sometimes it reads the course at exactly 1k and other days it is a little longer or shorter. I'm thinking about getting a GPS unit when I get back home, that might improve accuracy and it will help if I get into cycling.
I'm thinking quite a bit about what changes I'll do once I get home in about 9-weeks from now. With gas prices over $4 per gallon maybe cycling to work might not be as crazy as it once seemed. Besides, I'd do the daily workout and commute at the same time--think time management!
Last week I did a total of 1 kilometer the whole week and I made a promise to come back slowly. Doing 10 times the distance the following week might not seem prudent, but before the ankle injury I was doing 4k daily runs 4-times a week and an 18k long run. OK, that was too much but my goal is to eventually get back to doing at least a 5k daily workout like I was doing before starting this job in Jerusalem. Of course out here I'm running on hills at an altitude of about 820 meters (2,690 feet) while at home it was pretty much flat at nearly sea level and I was racewalking so it is going to be more of a challenge to build up my distance.
Here's how the week went:
Sunday - No run but did strength training and wrapped ankle in hot towel for good measure
HR Pace Cadence
Monday - 156 6:31 83
Tuesday - 150 6:31 83
Wednesday - 147 6:40 83
Thursday - 152 6:40 83
Friday - 159 6:49 82
Saturday - 165 7:08 (avg.) 82 (5 kilometers in 35:54)
Some numbers might not match up exactly because the Polar SR800sd foot pod does vary from day to day. Sometimes it reads the course at exactly 1k and other days it is a little longer or shorter. I'm thinking about getting a GPS unit when I get back home, that might improve accuracy and it will help if I get into cycling.
I'm thinking quite a bit about what changes I'll do once I get home in about 9-weeks from now. With gas prices over $4 per gallon maybe cycling to work might not be as crazy as it once seemed. Besides, I'd do the daily workout and commute at the same time--think time management!
Saturday, March 22, 2008
From All Wrong to All Right
Once again I only did 1-kilometer the whole week, but last week I did things all wrong by going out too hard on an injured ankle and this week I was careful not to try anything until I was fully recovered--and even then I started very gently.
Last week I really wanted to get back into it and whip myself into shape for either the Jerusalem half-marathon or the 10k. In my head I was trying to convince myself that I could go 2k on Sunday, 3k on Monday and so on until I could hit an LSD run this weekend--right. Sunday I knew I was foolish, Monday I kept up with the weights, stretching and applying heat to the injury, Tuesday the pain miraculesly disappeared, Wednesday I suited up for a run but decided to do a little running in place before going out--ouch, I didn't go out. And that's how it went. Friday I did my usual 5k walk to get some food, I did a fast walk to the market and it felt pretty good. Saturday, today, was the day that I finally set out for my first run in a week. After an easy 7:19 min/km around the course I did my strength and stretching and wrapped up my ankle with a hot towel.
My strategy now is to ease back into running and not to suddenly increase my speed or distance. It might take more time, but hopefully I'll spend less time laid up because I over did it.
Once I get home, just a little over 2-months from now, I'm thinking about mixing things up a bit. Some racewalking, bicycling and I've been having this urge to learn the unicycle. Oh, and barefooted running? Yeah, on some nice cool wet Pacific coast beach sand.
Last week I really wanted to get back into it and whip myself into shape for either the Jerusalem half-marathon or the 10k. In my head I was trying to convince myself that I could go 2k on Sunday, 3k on Monday and so on until I could hit an LSD run this weekend--right. Sunday I knew I was foolish, Monday I kept up with the weights, stretching and applying heat to the injury, Tuesday the pain miraculesly disappeared, Wednesday I suited up for a run but decided to do a little running in place before going out--ouch, I didn't go out. And that's how it went. Friday I did my usual 5k walk to get some food, I did a fast walk to the market and it felt pretty good. Saturday, today, was the day that I finally set out for my first run in a week. After an easy 7:19 min/km around the course I did my strength and stretching and wrapped up my ankle with a hot towel.
My strategy now is to ease back into running and not to suddenly increase my speed or distance. It might take more time, but hopefully I'll spend less time laid up because I over did it.
Once I get home, just a little over 2-months from now, I'm thinking about mixing things up a bit. Some racewalking, bicycling and I've been having this urge to learn the unicycle. Oh, and barefooted running? Yeah, on some nice cool wet Pacific coast beach sand.
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Shortest Long Run Ever
1-kilometer
Well, it wasn't really a long run but I usually do a long workout on the weekend and since this is the weekend--
I'm still recovering from a sore right ankle. Yesterday I did my usual walk to the Mahane Yehuda, which is the Jerusalem Shuk (outdoor market), and although my ankle didn't hurt to the point of limping, it wasn't all that comfortable for the hilly 5 kilometer trek. However, I felt pretty good this morning so I thought about going out for a slow 1 kilometer run all morning and decided that today was the day.
Ouch. The run was fine, I didn't feel like I was going very fast but my time was 6:18, a full minute faster than I probably should have taken it. After I stopped running though, I felt the pain. Instead of packing ice on it I wrapped my ankle with a hot towel, something that I've been doing every day because instead of the usual R.I.C.E. (Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation) treatment I'm using M.E.A.T. (Movement, Exercise, Analgesics and Treatment). See my post, Will you have R.I.C.E. or M.E.A.T. with that Injury? I'm also taking papaya enzyme tablets because I can't find fresh papayas or pineapples these days.
Is my therapy working? Well, it has been 2-weeks since the 18 kilometer run that probably over stressed my ankle and 12-days since my last run, where I probably did the most damage because I didn't allow enough time for recovery from the long day. Shortly after today's run and a quick hot towel treatment I was feeling pretty good. This is a pretty short recovery compared to a website, which will remain nameless, which is promoting a book by someone who "cured" his sprained ankle in "only" 5-months--his prior sprain took 18-months to heal! Of course I may just have an overuse injury, but it has all the symptoms of a sprain.
Will I go out tomorrow and start increasing the distance? Maybe, I'll wait until tomorrow to decide.
Will I do the Jerusalem half-marathon? Probably not at this point, though I did get the half-marathon map, got in the car, with a newly repaired GPS, and tried to check out the course. I got lost--I couldn't even find the start! What was no surprise was that this is a very hilly course.
Besides running and getting lost I also did some research. Why did I injure myself in the first place? Probably because of that rash I got between my inner thighs. Once it started hurting I most likely changed my gait to relieve some of the rubbing. Both ankles hurt after the long run but I probably stressed the right side a bit more. The masseuse at En Gedi noticed that my left shoulder was tighter than my right side and that makes sense that it would affect my right ankle. I red another interesting theory about injuries in Michael Yessis, Ph.D, book - "Explosive Running." Dr. Yessis states that running improves cardio but doesn't really do much for strength. Check out Dr. Yessis website for more. Strength exercises specialized for running will keep injuries down and reduces the amount of running time needed to get fit. I thought back (way back) to the days when I did only weights and no running--when I did run I could feel my heart was working very hard but my legs wouldn't get tired. These days it seems that my legs can't keep up with my heart and lungs. Pretty much every post I made is either a cardio workout or recovering from an injury. I think I had it right for a while last year when I was alternating strength training on day and a run/racewalk the next. Gee, I sure do miss my home gym! Only two and a half months before I'm home.
Well, it wasn't really a long run but I usually do a long workout on the weekend and since this is the weekend--
I'm still recovering from a sore right ankle. Yesterday I did my usual walk to the Mahane Yehuda, which is the Jerusalem Shuk (outdoor market), and although my ankle didn't hurt to the point of limping, it wasn't all that comfortable for the hilly 5 kilometer trek. However, I felt pretty good this morning so I thought about going out for a slow 1 kilometer run all morning and decided that today was the day.
Ouch. The run was fine, I didn't feel like I was going very fast but my time was 6:18, a full minute faster than I probably should have taken it. After I stopped running though, I felt the pain. Instead of packing ice on it I wrapped my ankle with a hot towel, something that I've been doing every day because instead of the usual R.I.C.E. (Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation) treatment I'm using M.E.A.T. (Movement, Exercise, Analgesics and Treatment). See my post, Will you have R.I.C.E. or M.E.A.T. with that Injury? I'm also taking papaya enzyme tablets because I can't find fresh papayas or pineapples these days.
Is my therapy working? Well, it has been 2-weeks since the 18 kilometer run that probably over stressed my ankle and 12-days since my last run, where I probably did the most damage because I didn't allow enough time for recovery from the long day. Shortly after today's run and a quick hot towel treatment I was feeling pretty good. This is a pretty short recovery compared to a website, which will remain nameless, which is promoting a book by someone who "cured" his sprained ankle in "only" 5-months--his prior sprain took 18-months to heal! Of course I may just have an overuse injury, but it has all the symptoms of a sprain.
Will I go out tomorrow and start increasing the distance? Maybe, I'll wait until tomorrow to decide.
Will I do the Jerusalem half-marathon? Probably not at this point, though I did get the half-marathon map, got in the car, with a newly repaired GPS, and tried to check out the course. I got lost--I couldn't even find the start! What was no surprise was that this is a very hilly course.
Besides running and getting lost I also did some research. Why did I injure myself in the first place? Probably because of that rash I got between my inner thighs. Once it started hurting I most likely changed my gait to relieve some of the rubbing. Both ankles hurt after the long run but I probably stressed the right side a bit more. The masseuse at En Gedi noticed that my left shoulder was tighter than my right side and that makes sense that it would affect my right ankle. I red another interesting theory about injuries in Michael Yessis, Ph.D, book - "Explosive Running." Dr. Yessis states that running improves cardio but doesn't really do much for strength. Check out Dr. Yessis website for more. Strength exercises specialized for running will keep injuries down and reduces the amount of running time needed to get fit. I thought back (way back) to the days when I did only weights and no running--when I did run I could feel my heart was working very hard but my legs wouldn't get tired. These days it seems that my legs can't keep up with my heart and lungs. Pretty much every post I made is either a cardio workout or recovering from an injury. I think I had it right for a while last year when I was alternating strength training on day and a run/racewalk the next. Gee, I sure do miss my home gym! Only two and a half months before I'm home.
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Too Much, Too Soon
Last week's 18 kilometer long run left me with more than just a rash on my inner thighs. I injured my right ankle. Both ankles hurt a bit the day after the long run, nothing unusual about that so I did a 2K run Sunday morning at a 7:30 pace just to keep myself "loose". Monday morning my right ankle hurt even more but I figured that a quick 1K wouldn't do any harm. I only managed a 7:08 pace and it did do me some harm.
I'm now in injury recovery mode--no running or long walks until the swelling and pain goes away.
On Friday I did my usual walk to the market, about 5K, and even though it wasn't terrible, it didn't feel good either.
Saturday I went to the Ein Gedi Spa for a massage and had the masseuse concentrate on my lower legs. She noticed the swelling and also noticed that the upper left part of my back was much tighter than my right side. Did this have anything to do with it? Maybe, it is all connected after all. The massage felt great and I had a good conversation with the masseuse, it turned out we both did the 10K race a few weeks ago at the Dead Sea Half-Marathon, though she walked it.
What's next? It depends how quickly I heal. I've been doing some strength training exercises, especially on the ankles, but I have a feeling that this is going to take a while--at least another week, maybe more.
I'm not going to sign up for the Jerusalem Half-Marathon until I feel fully recovered. Even then, I've got to decide if I'm doing the 21.1K or the 10K distance. Of course I had my hopes set on the longest distance.
In the meantime I've been doing some reading and consoling myself that I'm running for health, not to be competitive. If I can get my cholesterol level down so I won't have to take medication, that's worth more than any half or full marathon to me.
The other part of getting my cholesterol level down is being careful with what I eat. I've been doing a Google search before buying or consuming any food item. Of course I also came across some interesting reading materials about diet. One book that I downloaded and couldn't put down until I finished it was "Improving on Pritikin--You Can Do Better" by Ross Horne (click on the title to download it). Of course I had to find out more about this rather obscure author and a little Googling turned up that his last book was titled "Cancer Proof Your Body" published in 1996 and that he died of prostate cancer in 2005, he was somewhere between 79 and 82 years old--reports varied.
In any case, I learned to take claims on various diets with a grain of salt--or maybe take that without salt!
I'm now in injury recovery mode--no running or long walks until the swelling and pain goes away.
On Friday I did my usual walk to the market, about 5K, and even though it wasn't terrible, it didn't feel good either.
Saturday I went to the Ein Gedi Spa for a massage and had the masseuse concentrate on my lower legs. She noticed the swelling and also noticed that the upper left part of my back was much tighter than my right side. Did this have anything to do with it? Maybe, it is all connected after all. The massage felt great and I had a good conversation with the masseuse, it turned out we both did the 10K race a few weeks ago at the Dead Sea Half-Marathon, though she walked it.
What's next? It depends how quickly I heal. I've been doing some strength training exercises, especially on the ankles, but I have a feeling that this is going to take a while--at least another week, maybe more.
I'm not going to sign up for the Jerusalem Half-Marathon until I feel fully recovered. Even then, I've got to decide if I'm doing the 21.1K or the 10K distance. Of course I had my hopes set on the longest distance.
In the meantime I've been doing some reading and consoling myself that I'm running for health, not to be competitive. If I can get my cholesterol level down so I won't have to take medication, that's worth more than any half or full marathon to me.
The other part of getting my cholesterol level down is being careful with what I eat. I've been doing a Google search before buying or consuming any food item. Of course I also came across some interesting reading materials about diet. One book that I downloaded and couldn't put down until I finished it was "Improving on Pritikin--You Can Do Better" by Ross Horne (click on the title to download it). Of course I had to find out more about this rather obscure author and a little Googling turned up that his last book was titled "Cancer Proof Your Body" published in 1996 and that he died of prostate cancer in 2005, he was somewhere between 79 and 82 years old--reports varied.
In any case, I learned to take claims on various diets with a grain of salt--or maybe take that without salt!
Saturday, March 1, 2008
First Long Run in a Long--Long Time
I headed out to the Tel Aviv boardwalk this morning to do a long run. I was thinking about starting in Jaffa and going 10K North then heading back to complete a 20K run, but I ran out of boardwalk. In addition it was very humid, it started raining when I headed out but eventually cleared up. I ended up settling for 18 kilometers in 2 hours 30 minutes--ugh! I walked a hilly 21.1 kilometers in that time but this was the longest I have ever run without stopping or even taken a walking break.
I made a couple of mistakes, I went too slow and forgot about putting something on my inner thighs to prevent chaffing.
My daily runs have been averaging about 7 to 7:30 minutes per kilometer on a hilly course. The 10K at the Dead Sea averaged 7 minutes per kilometer so for a LSD (long slow distance) run I've been told to add 30 seconds per mile to the pace. Converted to kilometers that would be no slower than a 7:45 pace but my average on this run was an agonizingly slow 8:20 per kilometer, or 13:24 minutes per mile. A pace that lethargic makes for extra tired legs--but on the plus side I did get out and run.
Here's a chart of today's progress.
To add to the disappointment, I've got chaffed inner thighs. I've had this before and should have known better. Normally I'd apply some Body Glide before heading out, but where can I get that in Jerusalem? Maybe good old Vaseline petroleum jelly will do the trick, though it wears off quickly. A quick search on the Internet made for some entertaining reading. I copied these tips from Kevin Sayers' Ultra Running Resource Web Site.
Lycra Buns I earned the nickname "Lycra buns" as a result of the large number of brightly-colored short tights I ran in. With my "thunder thighs" I got chafing the first mile I ever ran. Someone suggested the tights, and I never looked back. Stay away from the biker shorts. They have two problems -- they usually have padded seats which work fine on a bike seat, but are hell for running, and they are cut to conform to the body in a crouch on a seat, not standing up for running.My best source was the "workout" short section in our local Target. Once I got over feeling just a little silly in them, I started heading for the women's section where the better pattern selection was.If you feel silly wearing them, you can always wear regular running shorts over them. I like the feeling of freedom, and occasionally a whistle...I've got 'em short and long, thick and thin, and wouldn't run in anything else.Try 'em, you'll like 'em.
Hawk ...I will be switching back to compression (biker) shorts. and using my FAVORITE thing, Bag Balm. PLEASE use bag balm... I discovered it in my cycling days. it is found in feed stores or hardware stores, and is designed for cows udders when they get chafed from the milking machines. it stays on WAY longer than Vaseline, and it contains some healing stuff as well. it comes in a square green can, and I guess it's a little trendy now cause they make it in a small human size can too, which costs considerably more.But it's just the most wonderful thing for things that chafe. I mean, if it can help a sore teat on a milker, then it is good for me!
Bonnie Busch I saw liberal use of Body-Glide at the 100k USA championships this weekend as well as good old Vaseline. Several years ago Dr. Andy Lovey published his own mixture for chafing, that I prefer.It was published in Ultrarunner magazine many years ago, probably early 90s. Dr. Lovy is an ultrarunner, most recent public siting was in Across the Years 24-48 Hour run, DEC97. I received this information as a friendly gesture, without warranty, without guarantees, without warnings, without clinic tests, without FDA approval, without medical evidence, without anything (get the picture!), which is how I pass it along to you. What else can I say to keep me out of legal trouble? I am not responsible, use your own judgment, and never perform your trial in your one big race this year.Most items can be easily found at a drug store, generally in the same shelving area. I have seen this mixture used for chafing and for blisters. (I have never seen anybody eat it, yet.)Here goes:
Mix A&D ointment, Destin ointment, and Vaseline in equal parts. Add vitamin E cream and aloe vera cream.Been awhile, but I recall if I used 1 cup of A&D, 1 cup of Destin, and 1 cup of Vaseline, then I used « cup to 1/4 cup of vitamin E and « cup to 1/4 cup of aloe vera cream, enough to make it smooth and nice smelling. I did not use my kitchen utensils to measure this so measurements were not exact. I believe the creams made it smoother, more consistent and aided healing. (Mixture should be stiff, yet applicable.) Obviously a single batch can last quite awhile if ingredients are purchased in sizable quantities. Purchasing the ingredients in small, resoluble jars is a good move - got to have some place to put this stuff after you have mixed it, and do modify the label so as not confuse anybody. I have stored mine in the refrigerator for years.The last batch I mixed up was years ago now. It not only protects skin from chafing but can help heal the skin and also is helpful with blister prevention. Low cost and effective.
I made a couple of mistakes, I went too slow and forgot about putting something on my inner thighs to prevent chaffing.
My daily runs have been averaging about 7 to 7:30 minutes per kilometer on a hilly course. The 10K at the Dead Sea averaged 7 minutes per kilometer so for a LSD (long slow distance) run I've been told to add 30 seconds per mile to the pace. Converted to kilometers that would be no slower than a 7:45 pace but my average on this run was an agonizingly slow 8:20 per kilometer, or 13:24 minutes per mile. A pace that lethargic makes for extra tired legs--but on the plus side I did get out and run.
Here's a chart of today's progress.
To add to the disappointment, I've got chaffed inner thighs. I've had this before and should have known better. Normally I'd apply some Body Glide before heading out, but where can I get that in Jerusalem? Maybe good old Vaseline petroleum jelly will do the trick, though it wears off quickly. A quick search on the Internet made for some entertaining reading. I copied these tips from Kevin Sayers' Ultra Running Resource Web Site.
Lycra Buns I earned the nickname "Lycra buns" as a result of the large number of brightly-colored short tights I ran in. With my "thunder thighs" I got chafing the first mile I ever ran. Someone suggested the tights, and I never looked back. Stay away from the biker shorts. They have two problems -- they usually have padded seats which work fine on a bike seat, but are hell for running, and they are cut to conform to the body in a crouch on a seat, not standing up for running.My best source was the "workout" short section in our local Target. Once I got over feeling just a little silly in them, I started heading for the women's section where the better pattern selection was.If you feel silly wearing them, you can always wear regular running shorts over them. I like the feeling of freedom, and occasionally a whistle...I've got 'em short and long, thick and thin, and wouldn't run in anything else.Try 'em, you'll like 'em.
Hawk ...I will be switching back to compression (biker) shorts. and using my FAVORITE thing, Bag Balm. PLEASE use bag balm... I discovered it in my cycling days. it is found in feed stores or hardware stores, and is designed for cows udders when they get chafed from the milking machines. it stays on WAY longer than Vaseline, and it contains some healing stuff as well. it comes in a square green can, and I guess it's a little trendy now cause they make it in a small human size can too, which costs considerably more.But it's just the most wonderful thing for things that chafe. I mean, if it can help a sore teat on a milker, then it is good for me!
Bonnie Busch I saw liberal use of Body-Glide at the 100k USA championships this weekend as well as good old Vaseline. Several years ago Dr. Andy Lovey published his own mixture for chafing, that I prefer.It was published in Ultrarunner magazine many years ago, probably early 90s. Dr. Lovy is an ultrarunner, most recent public siting was in Across the Years 24-48 Hour run, DEC97. I received this information as a friendly gesture, without warranty, without guarantees, without warnings, without clinic tests, without FDA approval, without medical evidence, without anything (get the picture!), which is how I pass it along to you. What else can I say to keep me out of legal trouble? I am not responsible, use your own judgment, and never perform your trial in your one big race this year.Most items can be easily found at a drug store, generally in the same shelving area. I have seen this mixture used for chafing and for blisters. (I have never seen anybody eat it, yet.)Here goes:
Mix A&D ointment, Destin ointment, and Vaseline in equal parts. Add vitamin E cream and aloe vera cream.Been awhile, but I recall if I used 1 cup of A&D, 1 cup of Destin, and 1 cup of Vaseline, then I used « cup to 1/4 cup of vitamin E and « cup to 1/4 cup of aloe vera cream, enough to make it smooth and nice smelling. I did not use my kitchen utensils to measure this so measurements were not exact. I believe the creams made it smoother, more consistent and aided healing. (Mixture should be stiff, yet applicable.) Obviously a single batch can last quite awhile if ingredients are purchased in sizable quantities. Purchasing the ingredients in small, resoluble jars is a good move - got to have some place to put this stuff after you have mixed it, and do modify the label so as not confuse anybody. I have stored mine in the refrigerator for years.The last batch I mixed up was years ago now. It not only protects skin from chafing but can help heal the skin and also is helpful with blister prevention. Low cost and effective.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Getting closer to the Jerusalem Half-Marathon
It looks like they started registration for this year's Jerusalem Half-Marathon. I find it a little strange that the date they picked for the event is a Thursday, but I find lots of things strange in this part of the world. In any case, the date is March 27, 2008 and there's also a 10K race (marked in purple) for those who don't want to go 21.0975 kilometers. Here's a map of the course, I wish they would publish an elevation chart!
4K Week
This week I increased the distance for my daily runs to 4 kilometers.
I didn't do a long run last weekend because I blistered my toes on an experimental barefoot run I did on Friday. In fact I took Saturday, Sunday and Monday off. It might seem sort of strange, but the weekend here in Israel is Friday and Saturday not Saturday and Sunday like in the Western world.
I did 4K on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. It took me 28 to 30 minutes to complete each run so I'm backing off the average pace to 7:15 minutes per kilometer or 11:40 minutes per mile. That's about my racewalking training pace from last year but I've got a hilly course and I just got started about a month ago. In addition, by backing off my pace I'm able to keep my heart rate at a more sustainable 160 bpm average instead of getting too close to my maximum, though near the top of the course I'm peaking out at around 175 bpm. Average cadence is around 85 (170 steps per minute) so I'm still a little short of the "ideal" 180 steps per minute.
I was thinking of increasing the daily run to 5K next week but I haven't decided on it yet. I'd rather start adding some long distance work into my routine and make 6-daily runs per week rather than increase the daily run distance and have to skip a few days. Apparently the rainy season is over so weather shouldn't be a factor for the next few months.
But what about another barefoot run? I'm actually thinking about doing it again. My toe blisters hurt more when I walk than when I run and maybe it was more a matter of doing 30 minutes on asphalt with unprepared feet that caused the blisters in the first place. Hopefully I won't be having to endure 100 blisters like this Wall Street Journal Article: Baring Their Soles: Pain Doesn't Defeat Unshod Marathoners
Here's an excerpt of the article:
Baring Their Soles:
![[Health Journal]](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizFPoDR4112Z2bSlCKfvJhQ3_UldsUP7SeYw9LhFAdeCVlDh66ibwh7QXJVz-Z8r3AKAT0fTEeMy77ECtco_GZJfhvut6g6R9pIj028fQSFFP57YhQufFYy3xnvaj5x_zpBSVVyEcwamux/s200/it_running09142004171604.gif)
I didn't do a long run last weekend because I blistered my toes on an experimental barefoot run I did on Friday. In fact I took Saturday, Sunday and Monday off. It might seem sort of strange, but the weekend here in Israel is Friday and Saturday not Saturday and Sunday like in the Western world.
I did 4K on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. It took me 28 to 30 minutes to complete each run so I'm backing off the average pace to 7:15 minutes per kilometer or 11:40 minutes per mile. That's about my racewalking training pace from last year but I've got a hilly course and I just got started about a month ago. In addition, by backing off my pace I'm able to keep my heart rate at a more sustainable 160 bpm average instead of getting too close to my maximum, though near the top of the course I'm peaking out at around 175 bpm. Average cadence is around 85 (170 steps per minute) so I'm still a little short of the "ideal" 180 steps per minute.
I was thinking of increasing the daily run to 5K next week but I haven't decided on it yet. I'd rather start adding some long distance work into my routine and make 6-daily runs per week rather than increase the daily run distance and have to skip a few days. Apparently the rainy season is over so weather shouldn't be a factor for the next few months.
But what about another barefoot run? I'm actually thinking about doing it again. My toe blisters hurt more when I walk than when I run and maybe it was more a matter of doing 30 minutes on asphalt with unprepared feet that caused the blisters in the first place. Hopefully I won't be having to endure 100 blisters like this Wall Street Journal Article: Baring Their Soles: Pain Doesn't Defeat Unshod Marathoners
Here's an excerpt of the article:
Baring Their Soles:
Pain Doesn't Defeat
Unshod Marathoners
To Harden and Condition Feet,
Runners Chuck Sneakers;
Mr. Yoshino Gets a Blister
By JOSEPH PEREIRA
December 27, 2006; Page A1
Last month, after returning from an eight-mile run, Tsuyoshi Yoshino heated up a three-inch sewing needle until it turned bright red. Then, he says, he plunged the glowing instrument into the ball of his foot, puncturing a three-inch-long blister.
Despite the risk of infection, he walked around his San Diego house for 20 minutes on the open wound to get used to the pain. "It's not something I like doing," he says. "But I have to."
While other marathoners train by carbo-loading, Mr. Yoshino has a more painful regimen. The 32-year-old graduate student at San Diego State University is one of a growing cadre of formerly shod distance runners making a torturous transition to running barefoot in the hope of improving their times and strengthening their soles. Blisters are an inevitable part of the journey. Mr. Yoshino estimates he's popped about 40 of them in the past 18 months. (See "Running Shoeless May Be Better," June 6)
Over the years, a handful of world-class runners have been able to compete barefoot because they had run that way all their lives, hardening their feet naturally from early childhood. Among them: Ethiopia's Abebe Bikila, in the 1960s, and South Africa's Zola Budd Pieterse two decades later. But for runners long-accustomed to cushiony footwear, making the switchover often involves bizarre, agonizing feats.
"I wish there was an 'Idiot's Guide to Barefoot Running,'" says Mr. Yoshino, a former collegiate cross-country athlete. In 2002, he completed the Boston Marathon -- in sneakers -- in two hours and 43 minutes, placing him among the top 260 finishers.
Nowadays he limps to a halt after eight miles because his bare feet heat up and blister. Since commencing barefoot training through the streets and hills of San Diego 18 months ago, he's consulted an acupuncturist for pain relief. A sports-injury specialist taught him to remove deeply embedded thorns from his feet with a box cutter.
FROM THE ARCHIVES
Health Journal: Running Shoeless May Be Better
06/06/06
Mr. Yoshino says he'll need to lance another 100 blisters before achieving his dream -- an outer crust on his feet as hard as that of some Australian aborigines. "It's no picnic," he says.
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Education Break
I was hoping to put in a long run today but my blistered toes hurt. I put on my running gear and started surfing the Internet. Every hour or so I would get up to check how my toes were feeling. Each time was a little better, but not good enough for a long run. I didn't do my long run, or short run for that matter, but I did find some very interesting reading.
Right now I'm reading a free e-book named, "Running Fast and Injury-Free" by Gordon Pirie. He was an incredible middle distance runner that had some very progressive ideas for this time, he won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 1955--the year I was born. The book was edited by Dr. John S. Gilbody who maintains a website in Gordon Pirie's memory.
After my barefoot run yesterday I thought that my form must be terrible because I shouldn't get blisters on my toes. However, this excerpt from his book made my day:
I downloaded a couple of version of his book. The latest one with lots of archival photos and news clippings is available at the Gordon Pirie website but here is an earlier version that is quicker to download and has all the essential information.
“Running Fast and Injury-Free” by Gordon Pirie
Note that this is a self-published book partially because of his critical views of modern running shoes.
Right now I'm reading a free e-book named, "Running Fast and Injury-Free" by Gordon Pirie. He was an incredible middle distance runner that had some very progressive ideas for this time, he won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 1955--the year I was born. The book was edited by Dr. John S. Gilbody who maintains a website in Gordon Pirie's memory.
After my barefoot run yesterday I thought that my form must be terrible because I shouldn't get blisters on my toes. However, this excerpt from his book made my day:
"...if you are running correctly your shoes will wear out initially at a point directly under your toes. You can prove this by taking off your shoes and going for a short run (on a safe surface, of course) in bare feet. Very quickly you will find you develop blisters on your toes. If you run correctly, the same thing will happen to your shoes; they will wear out under the toes."
I downloaded a couple of version of his book. The latest one with lots of archival photos and news clippings is available at the Gordon Pirie website but here is an earlier version that is quicker to download and has all the essential information.
“Running Fast and Injury-Free” by Gordon Pirie
Note that this is a self-published book partially because of his critical views of modern running shoes.
Almost Barefoot Running
Sometimes a little protection can go a long way. I was reading through Barefoot Ted's Adventures and found that this barefooted ultra marathoner often uses some sort of foot protection, albeit not much!
The odd looking rubber slippers are Vibram Five Fingers. You need special "toe socks" if you're going to use them in distance events. The minimalist sandals are Mexican huaraches.
Ted seems to be favoring the Vibram Five Fingers these days, but he is doing very long trail runs and those shoes/sandals/slippers/whatever they are, cost as much as much as a good pair of running shoes and tend to draw a bit too much attention.
I've searched for a pair of comfortable sandals, but they all chafe my foot so I usually put on a pair of socks. Yes, I look very "un-cool" so I tend not to wear sandals. I also tried Crocs, which are very popular here in Israel, but I've also gotten blisters with them.
The good thing about the huaraches is that they are easy to make, and cheap. In addition, you can make them from various materials including hemp, used tires, leather and well--just use your imagination. Here are a couple of PDF files showing how to make huaraches.
Making Huaraches
Tying Huaraches
Of course you can buy them, Barefoot Ted will custom make a pair if you send him a tracing of your foot. http://barefootted.com/shop/
The odd looking rubber slippers are Vibram Five Fingers. You need special "toe socks" if you're going to use them in distance events. The minimalist sandals are Mexican huaraches.
Ted seems to be favoring the Vibram Five Fingers these days, but he is doing very long trail runs and those shoes/sandals/slippers/whatever they are, cost as much as much as a good pair of running shoes and tend to draw a bit too much attention.
I've searched for a pair of comfortable sandals, but they all chafe my foot so I usually put on a pair of socks. Yes, I look very "un-cool" so I tend not to wear sandals. I also tried Crocs, which are very popular here in Israel, but I've also gotten blisters with them.
The good thing about the huaraches is that they are easy to make, and cheap. In addition, you can make them from various materials including hemp, used tires, leather and well--just use your imagination. Here are a couple of PDF files showing how to make huaraches.
Making Huaraches
Tying Huaraches
Of course you can buy them, Barefoot Ted will custom make a pair if you send him a tracing of your foot. http://barefootted.com/shop/
Friday, February 22, 2008
First Barefoot Run
Well why not? I read about it, now how about experiencing it?
The parking lot at the Ein Gedi public beach seemed like a good place to try it, but when I got there the wind was blowing quite hard. Remembering the finish line from last week's race I went looking for that little paved path leading to the finish line by Ein Gedi Spa. Ah yes, much better. My plan was to start slow and build up very gently. I also put a time limit of no more than 30 minutes in order not to overdo it.
At first it felt a little weird--probably overly sensitive from a lifetime of wearing shoes and believing that going barefoot was uncouth. However, after a while I was liking the "freedom" and my feet were striking the asphalt with very lightly. A few minutes into it I started feeling a little sting on my fourth toe but I came all this way to do a workout and didn't want to stop. That was a mistake. When I started cooling down I noticed that I was bleeding. Rule #1 when trying out something new/different--stop at the first sign of pain.
This is what my feet looked like after my first 30 minute barefoot run--actually it was a very slow run but since I didn't strap on the foot pod I'm not really sure how far I went.
Just for the record, here's the Polar chart for the run. Note the bumps in the altitude graph showing the number of laps I did.
The rest of this week was good. I ran 3k three times. Tuesday it snowed and Wednesday it was cold and raining so I stayed indoors and did weights and stretching.
HR Pace Cadence
Sunday 162 7:35 83
Monday 160 7:19 84
Thursday 163 6:58 87
This is good feedback. My heart rate is at a respectable "aerobic" zone while my pace and cadence are improving. Once I get to a cadence of 90 (180 steps per minute) I can start working on speed.
So--will I run barefoot again? Yes, once my feet heal. Hopefully my soles will be a little tougher and my steps a little lighter.
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